Worcester city manager has big building plans

WORCESTER — City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. has unveiled a $166.4 million capital spending plan for the fiscal year that begins July 1 that calls for significant investments for improvements to city buildings, parks and public works infrastructure, as well as equipment upgrades.

The plan also calls for a borrowing of $27.9 million for the Polar Park ballpark project and $4.1 million worth of borrowings for facility and equipment upgrades for the Worcester public schools.

In addition, the manager wants to borrow $2.8 million for the purchase of a new public safety software package to replace the existing system that is more than 20 years old. The new software system will support the Police, Fire and Communications departments.

Of the $166.4 million in planned capital spending, $135.2 million will be financed through general obligation bonds to be issued by the city, while $31.2 million will be financed by grant and other outside funding sources.

The general obligations bonds will be financed in two ways — $33.8 million in tax-levy funds from the city's operating budget and $101.4 million from so-called "self-supporting" sources such as water and sewer revenues, according to the plan.

Mr. Augustus said his fiscal 2020 Capital Improvement Plan will allow the city to provide better services and amenities to its citizens through strategic investment in parks, streets and sidewalks, buildings in which individuals interact with their government and the equipment used by employees to deliver municipal services.

"In addition to the priorities, the fiscal year 2020 Capital Improvement Plan has been developed to keep fidelity to the city's long-term financial plan in which debt issues are tied directly to the city's long-term ability to repay its obligations," Mr. Augustus stated in the plan, which formally goes before the City Council Tuesday night.

The proposed $27.9 million borrowing for Polar Park will be the second one for the $100.8 million ballpark project.

Last year, the city sold $31.355 million in bonds for it. That series will be financed through ballpark lease payments by the Worcester Red Sox, beginning in November 2021, and the city is not responsible for paying the debt service on those bonds.

Meanwhile, the debt service on the second bond sale for Polar Park will be financed by new tax revenues generated by the $90 million in private development that will be taking place in the Kelley Square area in conjunction with the ballpark project.

The plan is to use those new tax revenues and not existing ones in the city's operating budget to pay off those bonds.

Polar Park, which will become the new home of the Boston Red Sox's top minor league team, is scheduled to open in April 2021. It is currently in the schematic design phase, with groundbreaking for construction set to start in July.

The highlights of the Capital Improvement Plan include:

• $11.1 million for parks projects — $6.5 million financed by tax-levy funding and $4.6 million by grant funding.

The work includes renovations to the basketball courts, fencing and walkways at Crompton Park; the design and construction of a new skate park; and completion of the design and construction for the accessible walkway from Coes Park to Circuit Avenue North.

Also, continued trail renovations from the playground area to the lookout at Hadwen Park; additional improvements to Institute Park; the rehabilitation of the Little League field at Mulcahy Field to include the installation of sports lighting, fencing, irrigation and field upgrades; and renovations to Farber Field in which the existing soccer field will be replaced with synthetic turf and lighting will be added.

• $59.9 million for building/facility improvements.

Among those projects include $9 million in self-supported pilot funding for the design, construction and management costs to implement the Worcester Public Library's master plan and Children's Room upgrades. The library renovation project will be supplemented by an additional $4 million raised by the Worcester Public Library Foundation.

Other building/facility projects include: $1.4 million to replace the escalators at the DCU Center; $805,000 in renovations to City Hall that include fire alarm upgrades and a new roof; $650,000 for a new fitness and activity center at the Worcester Senior Center; $249,000 to replace concrete stairs at Police Department headquarters; and $210,000 to replace the roof at the Tatnuck Fire Station.

Also, a $3.6 million investment at Union Station that includes floor replacement, generator replacement and masonry restoration; a $14.1 million investment in the municipal parking garages, including the rehabilitation of the Pearl-Elm garage; and $23 million for a new parking garage that will be built on the south side of Madison Street, as part of the overall $240 million redevelopment of the Kelley Square area. That garage project will be funded by a MassWorks grant.

• $14.8 million to fund various public works infrastructure projects, including street resurfacing, streetlights, traffic signals, sidewalks, guardrails, dam improvements and a new bridge to be constructed on Flagg Street.

• $17 million to fund various sewer infrastructure projects, such as improvements to the city’s stormwater system and the Route 20 sewer expansion project.

• $15 million for various water infrastructure projects.

• $8.6 million for new equipment.

In addition to the purchase of a new public safety communications software system, $407,000 has been earmarked for purchase of 10 new police cruisers and $605,000 for a new fire engine truck.